Children’s Flat Valentine’s Day Card, circa 1965.
What’s in a Name?
This day was placed on the Catholic Church’s List of Roman Martyrology to honor the Christian martyr, Saint Valentine of Rome. More on him later in my Valentine’s Day post. He is the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, plagues, travelers, young people (amongst other things) and yes – LOVERS too!
Today it is defined as –
(a Valentine is) a gift or greeting sent or given especially to a sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, especially : a greeting card sent on this day
Merriam-Webster’s definition 2a
In our culture of ever increasing commercialization of anything that can be monetized along with the marketing and peer pressure to buy, buy, buy – every year we ponder, what shall we give for Valentine’s Day to show the one that we love how much we care. The most popular gift choices are greeting cards, a night out, sexy lingerie, jewelry, candy and of course, flowers.
Dinner out may not even be possible in the age of COVID. But it is typically fraught with problems; over-booked restaurants, long waits, the dreaded prefix menus and hasty, sub-par service. Chocolate is delicious, but what about health or dietary restrictions? And gifting it may quash any notions of next year’s gift of sexy lingerie…
So what are my suggestions? If you really know and love someone, you SHOULD be aware of what they like. If not, maybe you aren’t as committed to that relationship as you think you are. But I digress. Now there’s nothing wrong with remembering someone with a quick and easy, albeit woefully predictable gift. Be brave and try something truly unique, like this sweet little vintage handkerchief from Vanity Flair Vintage on Etsy.
The truth be told, your special someone doesn’t have to be “into vintage” to appreciate this refreshing gift idea. If she is into vintage, she may choose to use it for its intended purpose. Or it can be worn 1950s style – pinned to a dress, sweater, peaking out of a suit pocket or simply tied around the handle of a handbag. If you’re really clever and have have ample time, you may choose to have it framed so that it can hang in a place of pride, to be admired (and you adoringly remembered) for years to come.
If you must give a card, try finding a vintage one. It will not only be unique, it is earth-friendly too. Blank cards are a great solution because it shows that you put a little effort into your Valentine sentiment. Remember to compose a draft of your message on a separate sheet of paper first, so there are no mistakes on the card itself – and please write legibly.
Imagine your Valentine struggling to understand your love note, or worse, your mangled penmanship casts a negative light on your message. Even the frustration of receiving correspondence that one cannot understand is enough to ruin the day for some. Surely, nothing defeats the purpose of a hand written note more than it being indecipherable.
Fresh flowers are unparalleled in beauty but soon fade. There is the dilemma of what color and type of flowers to buy, not to mention if your lover is allergic. The remedy for that is to gift vintage floral themed jewelry. There are many options here: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and my personal favorite – brooches.
All of these options come in a myriad of colors, materials, sizes and design styles to suit most any taste. So why not try #FlowersThatDontFade? With this choice you can kill two birds with one stone. Sorry, strike that, it wasn’t very romantic. What I mean is that this gift covers two categories of flowers and jewelry. How can you go wrong with that? Get a move on Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.